It's been almost a year since I planted my first Moringa trees. I had read about them and people considered them to be a "miracle" tree because of their rapid growth and their nutritious qualities. I know people who grow the tree in a different and more humid region and was able to get some seeds from them to begin my experiment with this Miracle Tree.

My climate is hot and dry, I'm in the semi-arid region of northern Mexico. During the summer the temperatures here will hit 40C (104F), the climate here is comparable to Phoenix, Arizona. While reading about Moringa on the internet I formed a picture of this plant thriving in my region.

I started my trees in re-used tetra packs (the kind that you can buy juices or milk in) and almost every seed germinated and started to grow. The germination failure rate was extremely low so my experiment started to look promising.

After about 18 inches (45cm) the plant pretty much stopped all growth. Since we were not in the typical growing season I didn't give it a second thought. My plants went through our mild winter and I waited anxiously for spring.

Spring came and went and my Moringa still didn't grow the way that I though they would - something was wrong.

I took two of the plants and moved them to a different location, I transplanted them into the ground on a somewhat rocky hill. My pomegranates seem to do alright on this hill and the information that I read on the Moringa told me that the plant would take to almost any type of soil.

After a growing season in this location with rocky soil, with about 4 liters (1 gallon) of water a day, the Moringa had hardly grew at all. It was starting to become obvious that what I was reading on the internet about this plant wasn't quite right.

I decided I would take one of my plants and transplant it into a large 19 liter (5 gallon) bucket full of compost and soft dirt. This change made all the difference and within a week the plant started to grow like I had imagined it should and it now stands a little taller than me.

Realizing that the Moringa was easily stunted, I picked a different spot on my land with softer soil and a little bit of morning and late in the day shade to transplant one of the Moringa plants into. The change was dramatic and the Moringa began to grow immediately after transplanting it into the softer soiled area.

While I still haven't had the opportunity to taste the beans that this plant produces I have learned that the Moringa is easily stunted and that it does better in a soft-soil environment.

I'll keep you updated on the progress and hope to be able to tell you about how the beans taste very soon.

Previous Articles on the Moringa Tree

• Starting the Moringa Tree Experiment
• First Moringa Tree Experiment Update